Manufacturer Musings: Julian Wright, Blue Lucy

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Blue Lucy co-founder Julian Wright thinks that in an age where it's increasingly easy to reach audiences directly, the role of the "middle man" in TV is under question.

Julian Wright Name: Julian Wright

Job title: CEO & co-founder

Company: Blue Lucy

Number of IBCs you’ve attended? This will be my 18th, my first was in 1998. About half of those were as a visitor/buyer rather manufacturer - no prizes for guessing which were easier.

What do think will be the big technology trends at this year’s IBC?

Frankly nothing breakthrough. Trends tend to lead technical capability by an ever increasing period particularly in such a supplier-side driven industry.

The move to IP will continue to gain momentum - I think we’re poised to move beyond the early adopters’ stage, but take-up will be a gradual process of replacing equipment as it reaches redundancy rather than a swift “all-change.”

I expect also to see lots of stylised clouds on many a stand facia, probably not all merited. There are some genuinely innovative cloud-supported service models coming through though. Again, these are largely being used by early adopters rather than mainstream.

A combination of these underlying technologies will transform the industry over the medium term.

What’s your company highlighting at IBC?

We’re showcasing the Blue Lucy Asset Manager (BLAM) on stand 7.G07 at IBC - the answer to quick and easy MAM and workflow orchestration. The Blue Lucy team will demonstrate how the BLAM core product can be tailored to build a customised platform with a range of more than 30 plug-ins - three of which are being featured at the show:

The AWS Cloud Connector that allows operators to fully utilise cloud based storage as if it were a local file system;

The Adobe Premiere plug-in to support hi-res / low-res workflows for 4k; and

The all-new Media Importer plug-in which is designed primarily as a solid state media card import tool for field import to a cloud deployed BLAM.

What do you think is the biggest challenge facing the TV industry right now?

‘TV’ is a broad term and if that includes all video consumption tools and platforms then the ‘industry’ is booming. That said, some consumer delivery channels are increasingly struggling for relevance.

The growing disintermediation of the traditional broadcasters will probably morph into the disintermediation of the disintermediators (sic) as content producers interact directly with their audiences. Other than search and discovery the value of the middle man is, rightly or wrongly, being questioned.

Given that the RAI is two meters below sea level, what is your business doing to address climate change?

I would like to point out that the entire team at Blue Lucy have been genuinely green for a long time – since, like, before it was even fashionable. This year we have decided not to fly to Amsterdam as aircraft are polluting, we are driving instead. Admittedly in a 5.3 litre V12 Jaguar, but fitted with the HE - high efficiency – engine, the 1980’s equivalent of an eco-drive.

What are your top tips for trade show survival?

Strong medication for the days, stronger medication for the evenings. Always keep a copy of the address where you are staying about your person in case of over-medication resulting in separation from colleagues.